Stone Island has always been popular amongst many, from the Paninaro youth culture in the 80s to football enthusiasts, and more recently the Grime and Rap scene with the likes of Drake and Travis Scott. Yet, no matter who is buying Stone Island, one thing that seems inevitable is the hundreds of fakes plastered over the internet. I have put together this guide in the hope that you can learn a thing or two on spotting fakes. Also, to hopefully stop anyone from being bumped when it comes to purchasing Stone Island.  

Going to try keep this short and sweet (as much as I can).

Price

To some, this may seem common sense, but if it is too good to be true price wise, then you can be 99.9% certain that it will be a fake. Don’t get me wrong you can grab a bargain, but Stone Island is expensive, especially new items so just be wary. There are a ton of moody sites out there selling Stone Island at stupidly low prices, I have popped an example below. Avoid these kind of sites like the plague. 

Art No.

All Stone Island items should have an art number on the wash label, unless it is a proper vintage piece (before 1986) then, in that case, it may not. One main thing to keep in mind, is that the majority of fakes will have 222 at the end of the art number. 

Tag example (1) – Art no. 49151504/251 

Tag example (2) - Art no. 28154X44/4

How it works:

The first two numbers let you know the year and season when the item was made.

Even numbers = Spring/Summer range

Odd numbers = Autumn/Winter range

Year	Art No.	Year	Art No.	Year	Art No.	Year	Art No.
1990	12/13	1997	26/27	2004	40/41	2011	54/55
1991	14/15	1998	28/29	2005	42/43	2012	56/57
1992	16/17	1999	30/31	2006	44/45	2013	58/59
1993	18/19	2000	32/33	2007	46/47	2014	60/61
1994	20/21	2001	34/35	2008	48/49	2015	62/63
1995	22/23	2002	36/37	2009	50/51	2016	64/65
1996	24/25	2003	38/39	2010	52/53	2017	66/67

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In example (1), the two numbers are 49, meaning it’s an Autumn/Winter item from 2008. Then for example (2), the two numbers are 28 meaning it's an Spring/summer item from 1998. 

The next two number show you the brand they come under:

13 – CP under 16

14 – Stone Island Denim

15 – Stone Island

16 - Stone Island Junior

18 – CP Company

20 – CP Donna

In both cases, you can see on the labels, 15, meaning it is Stone Island

The fifth number shows the type of item:

0 – Leather

1 -  Shirts

2 – T-Shirts

4 – Shoulder Pieces

5 – Knitwear

6 – Sweatshirts

7 – Long Coats

8 – Suit

9 – Bags/Hats/Accessories

A – Jacket/Blazer

B – Swimming Trunks

G – Waistcoat

L – Bermuda Shorts

M – Jacket

S – Shoes

In this case, the example (1) has the number 1, meaning it's a shirt. And example (2) has the number 4, meaning it's a shoulder piece. 

The last 4 numbers refer to the manufacturer, material, dying and treatment processes.

Buttons & Zips

The buttons should always have Stone Island printed around them unless it is a really old piece. The centre should be a cross, not 4 holes which you see on a lot of fakes. However, certain jackets do not apply to this rule.

An example of real buttons

The zips will always be manufactured by a reputable brand such as YKK or Lampo or feature the brands name and logo printed on them. However, this is not always the case, but when looking at the zips, you will want to see if they look and feel of a higher quality as they are made to last, so will never be flimsy.

Arm Patch/ Badge

This can sometimes confuse people, as some replicas will have real badges, and some real items may have ended up with a fake badge on them (Second-hand gear). But you want to check for drop stitching near the buttons, that’s one big giveaway. Also 9 times out of 10, a fake badge will look off colour wise, look out of proportion, stitching off, and like card, it looks that hard. Remember to keep in mind that there are numerous types of badges, for example, green edge badges (Vintage badges), the standard badge, Ice badges etc. 

Fake buttons & Badge Example - 4 holed buttons, stiff batches, colours off, and no drop stitch near the button holes

Real buttons & Badge Example – cross buttons, drop stitch on the button holes, stitching is fine (this is an example of a used item)

An example of real buttons & a vintage green edge badge

Another example of a vintage green edge badge (front shot)

An example of a vintage Stone Island badge (back shot)

An example of a fake modern badge

There are also a few different badges that you don't see as often which are worth noting. Here are a few examples of the real versions.

Top left - 30th anniversary Tela Stella jacket badge. Bottom left - Ghost badge, you may also see these in different colours. Top right - Seen on Stone Island ice items. Bottom right - mesh Stone Island badge seen on a mixture of items.

Some laughable examples of Stone Island fakes

And a personal favourite... (By the way, items will never have a double badge)

Certilogo

The last thing to touch on is to do with more recent Stone Island items. Since the Spring/Summer 2014 collection, Stone Island has used Certilogo. This allows people to check the authenticity of their Stone Island item using the 12 digit code, or scanning the QR code with their phone. These will always be found on the security labels inside the item. See an example below.

Right, that's the end, hope that all helped and you now know how to spot that Clone Island. Thanks for reading, this is only Episode 1 by the way, I will be writing these on many other brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, etc. so make sure to keep an eye out!

Author - Lyle Cross